Improvement in bunching and pressing tobacco



D. HARRIS.

Improvement in Bunchi'ng and Pressing Tobacco.

Patented Nov. 5,1872.

J ha /1X02." 2441M %ww UNITED STATES PATENT Prion.

DANIEL HARRIS, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT l-N BUNCHING AND PRESSING TOBACCO.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 132,827, dated Nox'embcr 5, 187').

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL HARRIS, of the Y city of Quincy, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have'made certain new and useful Improvements in the Method of Bunching and Pressing Tobacco, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

Nature and Objects of the Invention,

Description of the Accompanying Drawing.

I Figure 1 is an end elevation of the spinning device employed in the process. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same.

General Description.

A in the accompanying drawing is a bandwheel, operated by the crank a and provided with the band B, which connects it with the reel 0, the center of which is furnished with a rack, c, at each end of which are the disks d d, at the center of the latter a hook, e, being affixed in a horizontal position. The reel 0 revolves on the bearings f, and is placed at one end of the table D in such manner that the longitudinal center of the table is opposite to and somewhat below the axis of the Y reel. The reel 0 and disks d and d have a common axis.

Operation.

The operator having secured to the hook 0 one end of a tobacco wrapper the wheel A is rotated, thereby communicating motion to the hook e and the wrapper secured thereon. That portion of the wrapper lying upon the table D is not affected by the revolution of the hook e otherwise than to be turned over and over as the hook revolves; but it does not twist, save a small portion immediately adjacent the book, as the end opposite that. secured to the hook is not confined. It is here to be remarked that the purpose of the hook eis not to twist the'wrapper. Upon the wrapper aforesaid the operator places a bunch of filler of desired dimensions, and in such position that the longitudinal centers of the wrapper and filler are coincident. Then, with his hand or a fiat piece of material secured over the palm thereof, he rolls the wrapper over the filler, moving both in the direction in which the hook e is rotatin g. Thus there is no twist given to the filler by the operator, as it is simply rolled over and over; nor any to the wrapper by the operator, as it is rolled about the filler in a direction corresponding to the direction of the revolution of the book. A small portion of the end of the filler is allowed to project beyond its inclosed part, upon which is rolled a portion of a second wrapper, in the remainder of which a second filler is placed and a wrapper rolled over the greater portion of it in the manner above described, which operation is repeated until a strand of the length of the table D is formed. The movement of the wheel A is then reversed and the strand wound upon the rack of the reel 0.

It is evident that the movement of the hook e is communicated to the wrapper and filler when rolled together, and that the fabric thus formed does not twist into the form of what is known as twist-tobacco, but simply rolls over and over, as the hook revolves, this motion being communicated to each filler and wrapper as they are added to the strand. It is also evident that the purpose of the hook e is simply to keep the strand rotating to prevent its becoming unrolled; but as the end of the strand is unconfined the hook cannot operate to twist it in a technical sense, its sole function being, as aforesaid, to retain the wrapper in its position as rolled.

The purpose of the process is to produce a strand of tobacco the center of which consists of a filler, about which is rolled a wrapper, the filler not being solidly twisted together, but left so loose or open that the fabric may be readily and with facility pressed into plugtobacco.

Gare should be taken to avoid having the table D of too great length, as if the strand lying upon the table and being acted upon by the hook 6 should. be formed too long certain parts thereof may become curled or twisted to such a degree as to impair the object of the invention.

In speaking herein of twist-tobacco I refer to the ordinary article of that name as known to the trade, the parts of which are twisted or intertwined compactly together in a manner resembling the formation of a rope. I lay no claim to my process as the means of producing such an article, as it could not be pressed with the same facility as the article I produce.

The strand as made by my process consists of a soft core, which is inclosed in a wrapper lightly rolled about it, thus forming a pliable fabric which may be readily pressed.

I do not claim the above process as a means of spinning a rope-or strand of tobacco consisting wholly of wrapper or filler; nor as a means of twisting a wrapper over a twisted ing reel 0 and hook e, in combination witlrthe table D, when used in the manner and for the purposes shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing improvements in the manufacture of tobacco, as above described, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 25th day of July, 1872.

DANIEL HARRIS. 14. s.l' Witnesses:

L. J. HARRIS, L. E. Emrons. 

